The Final Battle
by nrubsro nahte
Summary: The final battle between Harry and Voldemort, the battle that one of them does not survive...
1. The Battle

The Final Battle

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all screamed as they fell for what felt like 3 hours. Finally they hit the ground with a soft "thud".

"Where ARE we" asked Hermione looking around only to see nothing but pitch black air.

"I don't know," said Ron, "But I don't like it, Harry you should know better than to use something in The Black house if you haven't seen someone else use it before.

And why in the world would you think the couch was a horcurx?"

"Well you sat on the couch too! Besides, how was I supposed to know that it was a portkey? And I was only making sure; I am after all down to finding the last one!"

"Ok!" Hermione interrupted, "We just need to find a way out of here before something bad happens."

Just then an eerie green light started to glow from somewhere behind them. The trio exchanged glances, as if asking each other whether they should go towards it or not. Finally, Harry nodded, as he drew his wand and started towards the light. They had been walking for two or three minutes when finally they began to see the landscape around them.

There were trees and bushes and plants all around. They seemed to be in some sort of forest. Off in the distance they could hear the soft, gentle sounds of a stream, rippling through the soft ground of the forest floor.

"This seems like it would be a beautiful place if there were some light." said Hermione.

"Maybe," said Ron, "But it still gives me the willies!"

The trio kept walking but slowed their pace a little, something didn't seem right to them. They walked a few more feet when they heard a sound, like a twig snapping.

"Did you hear that?" said Harry, turning to look at Hermione and Ron.

The two friends nodded. Just then, giant vines shot out from all directions at the trio.

"Lookout!" yelled Harry as he raised his wand.

"Relashio!" all three of them yelled at the same time.

The vines wriggled and squirmed for a few seconds before coming back after the kids.

"There's too many!" Yelled Ron as a vine grabbed him around the waist and pulled him up and out of site into the branches.

"Ron!" yelled Hermione, "I take back what I said earlier, I DO love you!"

Just then a vine caught her around the ankle and up she went as well.

"Hermione! NO!" yelled Harry, now he was the only one left to fight the vines. "This is getting ridiculous!" Harry yelled. "RELASHIO!" he yelled as loud as he could and started to spin, he figured this would be a good way to hit all of the vines at once.

He stopped spinning. Panting, he looked around; the ground was littered with singed vines. He looked up. There was no sign of Ron or Hermione.

All of a sudden he heard a high, shrill laugh.

"I know that laugh." Harry said a chill running down his spine.

"That's good," said the voice, "after all of our little run-ins with each other you should know, and I can guarantee that this will be the last one, the one which you shall not survive."

"I doubt that," Harry replied, "especially if you keep hiding like this."

Just then there was a soft "thud", as if an animal had just landed on the soft earth behind Harry. Slowly Harry turned around, he found himself once again standing in the presence of the Dark Lord, and Voldemort was right about one thing, this would be the last time they ever see each other.

Harry raised his wand; he had improved loads since their last duel.Voldemort drew his wand from his pocket, and it was on.

They bowed, and walked apart.

"One." Said Voldemort.

"Two." Said Harry.

"Three!" They shouted together.

"Avada Kedavera!" yelled Voldemort as Harry dived behind a tree. He had just remembered the night in the graveyard. He can't fight Voldemort, their wands would connect again, and Harry would rather kill Voldemort this time, rather than run away.

"What's wrong Potter, can't take me?" Said Voldemort mockingly.

He ran around the tree where Harry had dove. Harry jumped fast and hid behind another tree. He didn't know what to do, he was stuck, if he jumped out and cast a spell their wands would connect, but if he kept hiding this would never be over.

Just as he was thinking this Voldemort jumped right in front of Harry and put his wand to his throat.

"now," he said," it is finally over for you, and I shall rise to power again and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me!"

At that moment Harry saw a bright red flash of light as he felt himself start to fly through the air. He looked up and saw Ron and Hermione with their wands pointed at Voldemort, one of them must have disarmed him of Harry instead of his wand.

"No! You guys get out of here!" yelled Harry

"No screamed Hermione, "We are with you through and through, and we know you can't use your wand against him so here," she tossed her wand to Harry, "Now quickly, give me yours!"

Harry tossed his wand to Hermione, as she caught it Ron shrieked as he was flung back and hit his head on a rock. Voldemort must have punched him in the chest, which was a fairly stupid move seeing as he had his wand in his hand.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed. "This is getting ridiculous!"

Harry got to his feet as Hermione dived out of the way of a spell that Voldemort cast at her.

"Hermione," He said, "stay back."

He proceeded to walk forward towards Voldemort. He could see Voldemort look to Hermione on the ground.

"Don't concern yourself with her." Harry said still walking but not for one second taking his eyes off of Voldemort.

"Brave boy" replied Voldemort. "But, if I'm not mistaken, you've never learned where my last horcrux was hidden did you? And all this time I was under the impression that you were smart, but I guess never smart enough to look right under your nose, literally.

A look of horror crossed Harry's face.

"That's right," finished Voldemort, "you." "So you see, even if you kill me, I shall like, and you shall die."

Harry began to think, if he killed Voldemort he would only come back, and Harry would no longer live, so what could he do? In order for the worlds to be safe he would have to sacrifice himself.

He started thinking about all of the people that he could save in doing this, then he started to think about all of the things he would miss, like, he would never get to play professional Quidditch, and never raise a family.

But, he knew what he had to do, he turned to look at Hermione, she had a look of pure horror on her face because she knew what he was thinking, he was thinking that if he were to kill Voldemort, she would have to kill him before Voldemort's soul would have time to get to Harry.

Sadly, and regretfully, she nodded.

Harry turned to face Voldemort once more; this would be the last time. Slowly he raised his wand, or rather, Hermione's wand, in front of his face, Voldemort did the same.

"One." Said Harry, voice as stern and steady as ever.

"Two." Said Voldemort, with I higher "hiss" than usual.

"Three!" They all said together, Hermione joined in for the last count.

"AVADA KEDAVERA!" they both screamed at the same time, Hermione ducked behind a tree because she knew firsthand what happened to spells that collided in midair.

The spells clashed in a bright flash of green light. Without taking a breath, Harry screamed again, "AVADA KEDAVERA!"

This time though, the spell hit Voldemort square in the chest, he fell straight to the ground.

"Now!" Harry screamed at Hermione.

She hesitated. "Do it Hermione or none of us will ever see the light of day again!" he screamed.

"Avada Kedavera!" she shouted, tears running down her cheeks.

Harry's body immediately hit the ground. She rushed over to him. As she knelt down she noticed that his hair was starting to grow, and that he was starting to get taller. She got up and started to back away. In a few more seconds Hermione thought that she was looking at Snape, but, no, unless…

"He was using the Polyjuice Potion!" she exclaimed, but then where was Harry?

She glanced over to Voldemort's body, only, it wasn't his, she was now looking at what seemed to be Lucius Malfoy! She couldn't believe it!

All of a sudden, behind her she heard a crash of tree branches. She spun quickly to see Harry and Voldemort battling each other.

"Harry!" she screamed

Harry turned and looked at Hermione with a confused look on his face, "What are you doing here?" he yelled, then turned to face Voldemort again.

"That's not important! But you must know, you are the last Horcrux!" She screamed sadly.

"How!-"yelled Voldemort, with the same confused face Harry had had just before.

Harry seized this moment; he turned to Voldemort and shouted "Avada Kedavera!" a bright green light, maybe the brightest that Voldemort had ever seen emerged from Harry's wand and hit Voldemort square in the face. Voldemort was swept back at least thirty feet where he hit a tree and fell to the ground.

Voldemort's soul slowly rose out of his body.

Harry looked to Hermione and yelled "Now!"

"I can't!" replied Hermione her face was now drenched with tears and she could hardly squeeze out the words.

"Fine!" Harry yelled, turning his wand on himself, "Goodbye." He said softly, but Hermione knew what he said. The tears fell like raindrops on the soft, grassy ground.

"Avada Kedavera!" Harry said, never in his life had he sounded so strong, as if death was just the thing that he had looked forward to all of his short life.

His body fell to the ground with a soft "thunk". Hermione looked over at his body; slowly she started to walk towards it.

She picked up his wand and put it in her pocket. Then she glanced to the air between the two bodies, and she noticed a small white ball was still floating towards Harry.

Hermione had a confused look on her face as she saw the ball, Voldemort's soul, sink into Harry's forehead, and right into his scar.

Just then Voldemort's body squirmed out of the exact spot that his soul had just entered.

"Ha ha ha," chuckled Voldemort, noticing the horrified look on Hermione's face, " A small detail that you ALL seemed to have overlooked, HE wasn't the horcrux, HIS SCAR was, meaning that he could die and I could still live. And now, there is no one in the world to stop me, not Harry, not Dumbledore, and not that stupid oaf Snape, I never really did like him much anyway."

"So," he went on, but he paused for a minute as he noticed a slight stirring behind Hermione, It was Ron, he was finally coming back to consciousness, Hermione turned slightly, still keeping Voldemort in her peripheral vision.

"What happened-" he started as he looked at Harry's body, lying on the ground, lifeless. He gasped, "Who? What happened Hermione?" he said, "Is he really-"

"Yes," Said Voldemort, Ron froze, he had just noticed that he was standing only a few feet from the most powerful wizard left alive, he froze. "Now, you both get to share the title of the first to be killed in my, no, 'Lord Voldemort's Subsequent Reign', doesn't that sound exciting? Now, I think you shall be first." He said, pointing his wand at Hermione.

To Be Continued


	2. The New DA

Chapter 2:

"The New DA"

Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she stared at the wand-tip that was only inches from her face.  
"Le-leave her al- lone!" said a shaky, insecure voice from behind Hermione.  
Voldemort chuckled "YOU are talking to ME in that tone of voice? You're just as foolish as Potter, and you saw what happened to him." His attention was now directed at Ron. He stalked past Hermione.  
"YOU didn't do anything to kill Harry, you were already lying on the ground, dead!  
"You filthy blood-traitor, you're getting to be worse than the little miss know-it-all behind me!" Voldemort exclaimed.  
Voldemort raised his wand at Ron and began to utter the killing curse. Just then, a red jet of light rammed into his back, right between his shoulder blades and sent him spiraling in an arc over Ron's head and landing flat on his face nearly 30 yards away.

"Ron!" screamed Hermione, "apparate!"  
"Where to?" Ron asked frantically.  
"Anywhere!" she replied as she concentrated all of her thoughts on The Burrow.  
With two loud 'cracks' Ron and Hermione were both out of the grasp of the Dark Lord, for now.

A couple of seconds later, Hermione found herself in the deserted den of the Weasley house. The house was much different than it had been a few years prior when Hermione had stepped into it for the very first time. It was dark, there was no light or heat, it was cold and clammy, and the dirty dishes lay lifeless in the sink. The abnormal clock with the faces of the Weasley children was no longer moving, but covered in cobwebs.  
Hermione knew where the Weasley family was, and she knew that as soon as she met p with Ron, they would both have to go there and deliver the terrible news to the Order.  
She began wandering around when she heard a loud 'crack' from behind her.  
She whirled around to face the invisible intruder.

"I thought you'd come here." Said a familiar and pleasant voice.  
"Ron!" she said, pocketing her wand and throwing herself into his arms.  
She began to cry, the reality of what had just happened hit her full force.  
"He's really gone." She sobbed into Ron's shoulder.  
"Yeah." Ron sniffed, "I can't believe it either."

For minutes, the couple stood in silence, mourning their lost friend.  
"C'mon." Ron said, wiping the tears from his eyes, "we have to go tell the others."  
Hermione sadly agreed, realizing that he was right.

"Here," Ron said, walking over to the door underneath the stairs. He opened it and disappeared inside. A couple of seconds later he re-appeared, now holding two brooms.  
"They're Fred and George's old ones," he said, "I don't think apparating to Grimmauld Place would be very appropriate."  
Hermione agreed and followed Ron out the door.

Before he could mount, Ron felt his broom leave his hand. Puzzled, he looked back at Hermione, who had taken it. She dropped both brooms and gently pushed Ron against the wall. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time." She said as she leaned in and kissed him. That whole moment was electric. Ron's heart beat wildly and he wished the moment would never end, but sadly, it had to.  
Hermione pulled away and opened her eyes.

"Sorry," she said, and chuckled, "kind of go carried away there."  
"Don't be." Ron said in a dazed voice.  
"Well I suppose we'd better get going." Hermione said, changing the subject and handing Ron his broom back.

A couple of minutes later they were soaring high above the trees until they came to see lights below them.  
"There's Little Whinging" Ron pointed out, his voice getting hoarse and shaky.  
He quickly turned his gaze away and flew on.

It took nearly and hour and a half before Ron and Hermione finally touched down and dismounted in front of the gap between Number 11 and Number 13.  
Hermione pulled out a small scrap of parchment from her pocket and together, she and Ron silently read a phrase written by a man that they had both admired dearly.  
In front of them, the two houses began to separate, making room for number 12 to squeeze in.

Silently, they both walked up the stairs and quietly knocked on the door. They both knew that as soon as that soon opened they were going to be in big trouble.

As the door opened, a short and stubby woman with fiery red hair poked her head out.  
"Ron?! Hermione?!" she said in shock, "I thought you two were in bed, what in the- where have you been? Where's Harry?"  
"Mum," Ron said softly, "we'd better discuss this in the kitchen."

After Mrs. Weasley heard the terrible story, her once rosy red cheeks were now as pale as the soft snow falling outside.

"I- this-, you both need to get some sleep," she said holding the tears back. "Go on up to bed." She finished, getting up and ushering them out of the kitchen.  
"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione said from the doorway, "Ron and I, well, we would like to join the Order."

Mrs. Weasley stared at Hermione with a blank face while Hermione stared anxiously back.  
"Absolutely not." There will be nothing more said about it, now go on up to bed."

Reluctantly, Ron and Hermione silently traipsed up the stairs and into Ron's bedroom.  
They both sat on the bed in silence for a few seconds before Ron finally began to talk, "Stop me if this sounds too rash, but what if we were to get the DA back together and go after Vol- You-Know-Who ourselves?"  
"I think it sounds great." Said Hermione, "but there's one problem, what parent in their right mind, would let their kid go after the greatest wizard left alive?"  
"Well I'm sure Fred and George will, and after everyone hears what happened they'll all want to help!"  
"Yes, I'm sure too, but we still have the parent problem."  
"No," said Ron, "We just owl the members, and tell them to leave a letter for their parents to read, I mean I'm sure they'll be mad, but wouldn't it be worth it, if they help defeat the Dark Lord?"

"Ron! Think about what you're saying! A group of teenagers with no magical skill beyond that of a 6th year going out to try and defeat the most powerful wizard left alive! There is no way that we would all make it back alive if any of us did!"

Hermione was now panting and about to break down into tears when Ron gently grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, "Then do it for Harry." He said calmly.

She sat in silence, sobbing for many minutes until finally she stood and said, "You start owling members, I'll go get Ginny and the twins, we'll need to leave tonight."Chapter 2


End file.
